Interviews -- Part 1
I am sorry for delaying this blog entry. With my birthday just passing, and some other very personal/upsetting situations arising it has been hard for me to keep my head on straight. I have been somewhat of an emotional train wreck, but I am going to attempt to at least begin this blog entry and see what comes of it.
Who to interview?
You want to interview people who can give you the information and quotes that NO ONE else can. Ask the person the question that only THAT PERSON can answer. That is really important.
So, if you are doing an article about the Dover, New Hampshire police station laying off police officers there are many different interviews to obtain and questions to ask.
The chief of police would be asked much different questions than one of the newest rookie cops. You would need to do research to find out who is at the top of the "food chain." Find out WHO made this decision and WHY this decision was made. Ask those people questions that can ONLY be answered by that person.
There are many angles to take on the story.
Whether it be the angle of why the downsizing is happening, how this is going to affect the crime rate, the impact this is having on the families, etc. You would not ask one of the police officers being laid off (as a first question), "What is your favorite memory of being on the job?" No, that is not the right question to ask in this sort of situation. A better question would be, "What was your reaction when you found out you were one of the police officers being let go?"
Actually, I think I want to move to another topic about interviews.
HOW TO CONDUCT INTERVIEWS.
Face-to-Face is the #1 best way to conduct an interview. That way you are speaking straight to the person. You see all the NON-VERBAL communication, and you can notice the tone of voice. You can "feel the presence" of the person and the vibes of the situation. Whether or not the person is feeling tension or relaxed. You are able to re-word and pose your questions differently in order to keep your source feeling at ease. You are able to get the best quotes straight from the person on the spot. You can ask follow up questions and you are really able to connect with the person and form somewhat of a "bond" with one another. The reporter always wants to protect the sources, and the sources need to know that they can trust the reporter.
Phone interviews may not always be great, because you never know who is in the room with that person telling them what to say. You don't get to see the look on the person's face. You may not even be speaking with the right person. Even if you know the person's voice you can never be 100% certain that the person you are speaking with is the person he or she claims to be.
E-mail interviews should be LAST resorts. The person cannot interpret your questions the way you may intend them to be interpreted. They could be perceived in a negative way. The person has time to backspace, reword, rephrase and PRACTICE the quote that will be given and published. The person is able to "rehearse" the quote and make sure that it sounds great.
The person could also be having someone ELSE write the e-mail for them. Someone ELSE could be typing the answers. The e-mail account could also be hacked, and in that case the person responding is not the person that the interview was intended to be with.
That's all I have for now.
My brain is in shambles right now, and I am sorry that I am allowing my personal problems interfere with my blogging personality.
It's actually a big stress reliever when I go on Zennie62.com and blog and expose Tila Tequila's lies. Guilty pleasures are still pleasures.
Cheers, I'll continue you this later.
I will discuss SKYPE in my next part of the interview blogs.
(p.s. Tom from Myspace is following me on Twitter!)
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